Fellowship From the Brother Above – November 3, 2025 (Part Eight)

Question 15: Every day in my duty, I encounter many things and reveal a lot of corruption, but I’m rarely able to grasp these revelations of corruption and seek the truth to address them. I always feel I haven’t gained much. How can I recognize the corruption I reveal every day and seek to enter into the truth?

Answer: Do you know what a person’s greatest gain is each day? It’s being able to understand a bit of the truth every day. For example, when you gain some illumination on a certain aspect of the truth, and your understanding of the truth deepens a bit, this is one kind of gain. When you gain some knowledge of the corruption you’ve revealed, or your knowledge has grown deeper than before, this is also a kind of gain, and it is the greatest gain. When you’re able to practice the truth and grasp the principles in certain matters, this is also a gain. In addition, when you consciously practice submitting to God in certain matters, this is also a gain in life growth. These are all gains. If you can make two or three kinds of gains each day, then your life is growing normally. This is the most normal state to be in. The truth isn’t something you can become completely clear on in just a day or two. It’s about gaining a little illumination today and deepening your understanding, then gaining a little more illumination tomorrow and deepening it further. The day after, you become a bit clearer on the principles of practicing the truth, and the day after that, even clearer. Eventually, you achieve a complete understanding of the truth and grasp the principles. This is the normal process of life growth. So, no matter in what aspect you have made gains, it is all truly good. It shows that your life is growing and that you are experiencing God’s work in a normal way. If you can make these kinds of gains every day, that’s truly precious, and your life will grow quickly!

Question 16: I’m a gospel director. When I discover problems in the duties of my brothers and sisters, I can initially be tolerant and patient and help them, but after helping them many times, some still don’t turn things around. I sometimes prune them severely, but as a result, I end up hurting their feelings, and they become negative and unwilling to talk to me. How should I practice so that I can both solve problems and avoid constraining the brothers and sisters?

Answer: This requires a bit of wisdom. What kind of wisdom? Tell me, what is the basis for pruning people? It’s based on helping them understand the truth. For example, if a matter is urgent and you get anxious and prune someone first, but they don’t understand the truth, they’ll feel upset and become negative. So, after the work matter is handled, you should quickly fellowship on the truth with them. After they listen to you and understand the truth in their heart, they’ll say, “I was really upset when you pruned me at first, but now that you’ve fellowshipped on the truth with me, I understand that the problem was with me.” You see, once they can know themselves, they won’t be upset anymore. Therefore, when you prune people, you must also fellowship on the truth to solve the problem. This is what benefits people. Or, you could hold off on pruning them for a bit; this is also a form of wisdom. You have to see if they have the stature. If they’ve just started believing in God and their stature is still too small, pruning them could make them so negative that they can’t get back up, and they might even stop believing. You absolutely cannot prune such a person. When people first start believing in God, they’re like newborn babies; you have to coax them along in everything. Even if they’re perfunctory in their duties, don’t be hasty in pruning them. You can read God’s words to them and, by fellowshipping on God’s words, guide them and help them understand the truth and know themselves little by little. When people read God’s words and see the words that expose and prune people, they’ll be less likely to become negative and will be able to accept them a bit more easily. But when it comes to being pruned by another person, they find it hard to accept and are prone to feeling upset and negative. Is this not how it is? (It is.) So, for newcomers with small stature, don’t be hasty in pruning them. You can solve the problem by reading God’s words to them and fellowshipping on the truth. So, who can be pruned? Those who have believed in God for a long time can be pruned. No matter how you prune them, they won’t leave the church. They might feel upset initially, but afterward, when they come to understand the truth and know themselves, they’ll get back up from their negativity. Not only will they not hate you, but they’ll be happy and grateful to you. You can prune such a person however you like. But you can’t prune new believers or those with very small stature. If you do, they’ll become negative, and if you prune them severely, they might leave. Would you dare to prune such a person? Even I wouldn’t. You must remember to take two things into account when pruning someone. First, you must consider whether their stature can bear it, and second, you must use a bit of wisdom. What kind of wisdom? You must first fellowship on the truth to solve the problem. If you’ve fellowshipped on the truth and they understand it but are still deliberately perfunctory, you should give them a warning, asking them, “How come you’re being perfunctory again? We already fellowshipped on this aspect of the truth. What do God’s words say?” If they accept your warning but are perfunctory again later, then it’s appropriate for you to prune them. If they are perfunctory time and time again, what will their first reaction be when you prune them? They’ll say, “It’s not their fault for pruning me. I’m just too rebellious. They’ve fellowshipped on the truth to help me several times, and I understood the truth but still acted as I did. I deserve to be pruned.” You see, they won’t hate you or become negative, and they’ll start to hate themselves. Is this not so? (It is.) Therefore, you must use a bit of wisdom when pruning people. Don’t be rash in pruning people, especially those of small stature. You must treat them according to their stature and their ability to bear it.

Question 17: When preaching the gospel, many brothers and sisters encounter persecution from the government and the religious world, as well as rejection from their families. This makes them become negative and weak. How should we fellowship to guide them so that when they face such difficulties, they can experience God’s work and still actively do their part in the gospel work?

Answer: It’s inevitable that people will encounter difficulties in their duty. When you’re facing many difficulties but your stature is very small, what should you rely on to stand firm? You must rely on understanding the truth to stand firm. Understanding the truth can give us strength, allow us to persist in our duty, and bolster our faith. Understanding the truth is the most crucial thing. Therefore, the more difficulties you face, and the more you are persecuted by the government and the religious world, and rejected by your family, the more you must read God’s words and fellowship on the truth. God’s words can give people strength, allow people to understand God’s intentions, enable people to see through to all things, and allow people to know God’s work and how to experience it to be able to stand firm in their testimony for God. So, when people become negative and weak after encountering difficulties in their duties, as leaders and workers, we must never resort to pruning them. In this situation, we simply have to fellowship on the truth. We must fellowship, fellowship, and fellowship even more. We must provide for them, provide for them, and provide for them some more. This is the best way to solve this problem.

Question 18: I always plan out my duty well, but when it comes to actually doing it, I encounter some unexpected situations or practical difficulties, and I tend to give up halfway. I can’t follow through on my plans or persist to the point where a result is achieved. What is the problem here? How can I resolve this state?

Answer: There’s a Chinese idiom, “Haste makes waste.” Do you understand what this means? It means that if you’re too eager for success, you won’t achieve the result you desire. You need to be patient and persistent, and do things step by step. Can a person achieve something instantly just by planning it? Plans can’t keep up with changes, and the things people plan are often not easy to achieve. God is almighty and all-wise, and He is sovereign over all things. Whatever God wants to do will surely be accomplished and achieved. But we humans are not like that, and not everything we plan can be achieved. Therefore, you have to be flexible in your work and not be overly rigid in trying to stick to plans. No matter what you are doing, remember that haste makes waste. It’s normal to have some difficulties, so you have to deal with practical problems in a practical way. Is this not true? (It is.) For example, the number of God’s chosen people in every country is increasing day by day, so the church needs to print a large number of books of God’s words to provide for those among God’s chosen people who have just joined the church, so that they can eat and drink God’s words. This requires small printing presses to print these books. But to set up a printing press, you first need a workshop, and second, you need to buy machines. There are many difficulties here, and in many places, this can’t be done. So how can this issue be solved? Are there other ways? One way is for places with printing presses to print more books, enough to last for a few years, and then store them. Another way is to prepare a few photocopiers, which can also be used to print the books. You see, sometimes when plans are difficult to implement, we have to find other ways to solve the problem. Is this not how it is? (It is.)

Question 19: Recently, an incident of an antichrist causing a disturbance occurred in the church. This antichrist has been in the church for over three years, and now he not only denies God’s work but also sends messages and makes phone calls to disturb the brothers and sisters. I’d like to seek fellowship on what truths I should equip myself with when facing disturbances from antichrists so that I can discern them and also protect the brothers and sisters of the church.

Answer: It’s quite normal for antichrists to appear in churches. A great many antichrists have appeared in the churches in mainland China over the past thirty years, haven’t they? (They have.) So it’s very normal for antichrists to appear in the churches of various countries now. This is nothing strange. So how should one experience the matter of an antichrist appearing? First, you must be able to discern antichrists. What kind of person is an antichrist? (They are evil.) Is an antichrist someone who pursues the truth? (No.) Then are antichrists hateful toward and averse to the truth? (Yes.) On what basis do we say that antichrists are hateful toward and averse to the truth? Is there any evidence? (Yes, antichrists never reflect on or know themselves, and they never accept the truth.) That’s right. This is how you should view and discern antichrists. If they never talk about knowing themselves or admit to having corrupt dispositions, this proves that they don’t acknowledge or accept the truth at all. Is this not correct? (It is.) First of all, we all know that anyone who doesn’t talk about knowing themselves doesn’t accept the truth. So if a person who has believed in God for one to three years still doesn’t talk about knowing themselves or the corrupt dispositions they reveal, then they are in danger. Is this not the case? (It is.) Never talking about knowing themselves is a sign of danger. Antichrists never talk about knowing themselves. This is the most obvious characteristic of an antichrist. So how can you tell if a leader or worker is an antichrist? Remember, any leader or worker who never talks about knowing themselves is either a false leader, a false worker, or an antichrist. That’s how you discern them. And how do you discern those who do not have spiritual understanding? Never talking about spiritual matters in life, and never discussing the truth in God’s words, and not having any understanding of spiritual matters in life or any knowledge of matters involving the truth—this is what it means to not have spiritual understanding. Once a person who does not have spiritual understanding becomes a leader, they are either a false leader or an antichrist. Therefore, people who do not have spiritual understanding cannot be leaders or workers. Some of those who never talk about knowing themselves do not have spiritual understanding, and some are antichrists. Some antichrists may have spiritual understanding, and they may admit that people have corrupt dispositions, but they themselves don’t accept the truth. So can they still talk about knowing themselves? (No.) Because they don’t accept the truth, they don’t talk about knowing themselves. They think, “Isn’t talking about self-knowledge belittling myself?” They are hypocritical and deceptive like the Pharisees, and they never talk about knowing themselves. Is this not how it is? (It is.) Therefore, is a leader who never talks about knowing themselves or says they have corrupt dispositions, who clearly reveals a lot of corruption and voices many complaints but never admits to it, still fit to be a leader? (No.) They must be dismissed quickly. If they aren’t, they’ll start misleading and harming people. Once an antichrist comes to power in the church, can God’s chosen people still enter into the truth reality? (No.) Once an antichrist comes to power, none of God’s chosen people under their leadership can enter into the truth reality. Do antichrists uphold the work of God’s house? (No.) When an antichrist is in power, can God’s chosen people do their duty well? (No.) If God’s chosen people can’t do their duty well, can the gospel work of God’s house and the various items of work of the church proceed normally? (No.) So what are the consequences of an antichrist holding power? First, people have no life entry. Second, the work of the church becomes less and less effective, until eventually it falls into total disunity and God’s chosen people become a scattered flock with no one to shepherd them, and the church becomes a wasteland. These are the consequences of an antichrist holding power, so as soon as an antichrist is revealed, the church must be cleansed of them quickly. So how do you cleanse the church of these people? You must first fellowship on the truths of discernment with God’s chosen people and talk to everyone about how to discern antichrists and about what their most obvious manifestations are. Once you expose the manifestations of this antichrist according to God’s words and everyone compares them to God’s words, they’ll say, “They’re an antichrist! Their manifestations are exactly the same as those exposed by God’s words.” At this point, everyone will discern the antichrist, and then they will reject and isolate them. What does it mean to isolate them? It means no one will believe them or listen to them anymore, and they won’t be able to mislead anyone else. If there’s some muddleheaded or absurd person who is closest to them and insists on siding with them, then you can just clear them both out together. How does this approach sound? (This is a good way to approach this.) You must also remember that every antichrist or evil person is sure to have accomplices. They must have friends and helpers. When you clear out antichrists and evil people, you must be sure to clear out their accomplices as well. This way, you’ll completely root out the trouble. This is how you deal with antichrists. So how can you tell who is loyal to God and who upholds the work of God’s house? What are the main manifestations to look for? When an antichrist or an evil person appears in the church and causes disturbances, whoever can step forward to expose this antichrist, fellowship on the truth to help God’s chosen people discern this antichrist, and ultimately lead God’s chosen people to reject and clear out this antichrist is a pillar of the church. When choosing leaders, choose people with such a sense of justice. Understand? (Yes.) So why do antichrists mislead people? Why do they still do evil when they are well aware that God’s words are the truth? This is the nature and essence of an evil person. They mislead people, oppose God, and disturb the work of God’s house. This is the most evil kind of person. Think about it: If a leader is guileless and knows they don’t have any truth reality and can’t lead the church, what will they say? They’ll say, “My caliber is too poor, I can’t comprehend the truth, and I always have notions about God. I’m truly absurd. I’m not fit to be a leader. I should just resign so I don’t hold others back. I mustn’t harm God’s chosen people.” If they can say this, they still have some conscience and kindness. But an antichrist doesn’t think this way. An antichrist says, “If I can’t be blessed, I won’t let you be blessed either. Don’t even think about entering the kingdom of heaven. I’m going to mislead you all!” Aren’t the intentions of an antichrist quite sinister? (They are.) The intentions of an antichrist are truly sinister! You must see these things clearly. Why do we say that antichrists are evil? It’s because they do evil without even blinking, without any self-reflection, and without stopping their evil deeds. Such people are evil through and through. If a leader is guileless and knows they are a false leader walking the path of an antichrist, they will quickly admit their fault and resign. They’ll say, “I mustn’t harm God’s chosen people. If I continue as a leader, I’ll ruin the life entry of God’s chosen people. That would be letting down God above and God’s chosen people below. I can’t do such an unconscionable thing!” If they think this way, do they have conscience and reason? (Yes.) But why can’t an antichrist do this? This shows that the nature of an antichrist is truly evil. They are not kind. They are no good. Is this a good way to discern antichrists? (Yes.) This is how you must discern antichrists. Is this a good way to answer this question? (Yes.)

That’s all of the questions answered, so let’s fellowship on a few more things. Do you see that the disasters have been getting bigger and bigger? (Yes.) If a disaster strikes a certain place, for example a major earthquake, and some of God’s chosen people can no longer stay in their homes, what should be done? They must leave their homes quickly and move to a safer place. In such times, brothers and sisters must love one another. If a brother or sister’s home is safe for the time being, can they host their disaster-stricken brothers and sisters with love? (Yes.) This is preparing good deeds. Look at how the great red dragon frantically arrests those who believe in God in mainland China. Police cars patrol the streets every day. Many brothers and sisters are monitored and tracked by the CCP police while gathering, preaching the gospel, or doing their duty. The CCP also uses high-tech methods to hunt down God’s chosen people, culminating in coordinated mass arrests. Many people are arrested and imprisoned, and many other brothers and sisters end up being wanted and pursued by the CCP, unable to return to their homes, their families struck with death and collapse. They have to rely on the loving reception and shelter of their brothers and sisters. God’s chosen people in mainland China have come through such a dire situation. Those who can risk hosting wanted brothers and sisters are truly loving. To prepare such good deeds is to be considerate of God’s intentions. So in the future, if brothers and sisters in any country meet with disaster, will you be able to host them? (Yes.) Being able to host brothers and sisters who truly believe in God and help them through difficult times is a good deed. If, during a disaster, you always consider your flesh and want to live a comfortable life, and you see brothers and sisters suffering from a disaster and being homeless but you don’t host them, is there any love in that? Does your conscience not accuse and rebuke you? At such a time, whether a person is loving or not will be revealed. Of course, some brothers and sisters may have genuine difficulties, for example, their nonbelieving family members oppose them, or for some other reason they are not in a position to host brothers and sisters. What should be done then? In such a situation, would it be good for the church to arrange accommodation for disaster-stricken brothers and sisters? (Yes.) In this way, when disasters strike, brothers and sisters can still gather together to pray and read God’s words. Won’t this make it easier for people to stand firm amid disasters? (Yes.) There are so many difficulties to overcome during a disaster, and people need to suffer a bit. It’s not easy for a person to overcome these things alone, but with brothers and sisters helping each other, it’s easier to stand firm.

God’s chosen people in every country have all made progress and the churches in some countries can operate independently. You no longer need Chinese brothers or sisters to continue cooperating with you to water the churches. You can water the brothers and sisters of your own country yourselves. Your caliber and stature are both adequate, and you have some practical experiences, so you are fully capable of working independently. No matter which country God’s chosen people are from, you all have your own autonomy in your church life. You don’t need to have Chinese brothers or sisters guide you or help you with your work. You can choose to be independent. As long as you say that the churches in your country can be independent and no longer need watering from Chinese brothers or sisters, that’s perfectly fine. God’s house will arrange for the church’s Chinese brothers and sisters to withdraw, and you can be independent. If you don’t have enough manpower and say, “Please arrange for a few more Chinese brothers and sisters to water this or that district or church,” then that’s also fine. God’s house will arrange for Chinese brothers and sisters to water that district or church, but they won’t need to guide your work. You have autonomy in your work. You leaders and workers can discuss matters and make decisions on your own, as long as you work according to the principles fellowshipped by the Above. How does that sound? (Good.)

Have you seen the recent on-the-scene reports on church life from God’s house? (We have.) Reports have come in about church life in several countries, and this work is already bearing fruit. If God’s chosen people from other countries also want to make reports on your local church life, then you need to know what’s most important about church life, which is sharing experiential testimonies. As long as you have two or three brothers and sisters there with practical experiential testimonies that are beneficial to God’s chosen people around the world, and people can be edified after hearing these testimonies, then your church life is worth reporting on. If it’s just praying, reading God’s words, singing hymns, and dancing, but there isn’t a segment for sharing experiential testimonies, then this can’t be considered a good on-the-scene report on church life. At best, this would just be a simple report. Therefore, the testimony segment is very important. But after watching the first few on-the-scene reports on church life, don’t set a strict set of regulations for yourselves, saying, “We have to give better, deeper testimonies. If we can’t find two or three better, deeper testimonies, we won’t make a report.” If you set such high requirements, it won’t be easy to find suitable testimonies, because most of God’s chosen people in the churches around the world have only believed for two to five years, and they can’t share very deep experiential testimonies yet. To demand this of people is wrong and it constrains them. In reality, God’s house doesn’t require your testimonies to be all that elevated or deep. As long as they are true, practical, related to life experience, and edifying to most people, that’s enough. You mustn’t set your requirements too high, or you’ll just make things difficult for yourself, and you’ll always be struggling to find testimonies that meet your requirements, and you’ll end up getting all anxious and frustrated. Wouldn’t you just be tying yourself up in knots by doing this? (Yes.) That’s not the right thing to do. Regardless of whether your experiential testimonies are deep or shallow, as long as they are related to life experience and constitute testimony of life experience, are practical, and can benefit people, that’s fine. God’s house doesn’t demand too much. You see, the experiential testimonies in the first few church life reports are all quite good and beneficial to new brothers and sisters, so don’t insist on giving the highest and deepest testimonies that surpass the testimonies of other churches. Thinking this way is not objective or realistic. We should give whatever testimonies we have, as long as they are true and practical. In addition, churches in various countries can also create new hymns with their own unique characteristics. Whatever style of hymn the people of your country like to sing, you can sing in that style. Whatever the best dances of your country are, you can perform those dances. In the future, each country can sing its own hymns and perform its own dances, each with its own unique style. This will be best. Do not imitate other countries. The programs of God’s house have no regulations. All flowers must be allowed to bloom as they may. Just go ahead and get to it, make the most of your gifts and talents. As long as people enjoy it, benefit from it, and it manages to bear witness to God, then it is valid. Understood? (Yes.)

Let’s end today’s gathering here. Goodbye! (Goodbye, brother!)